After the fall of the Soviet Union everyone in the West thought Russia was a “loser,” but with a successful military operation in Syria Russia once again proved them wrong, Chinese political scientist Gao Fei wrote for Global Times.

"The West underestimated Russia, its desire to fight and certainly wasn't ready for this," Fei said, according to Global Times.
Between October 26 and 27 the Russian Air Force conducted over 90 airstrikes against ISIL targets in Syria.

This made Western experts reconsider whether present-day Russia is the same country that they had known in the past.
The United States and its allies always thought that they were the leaders of the world when it came to fight terrorism, but now Russia's certainly proved them wrong, the Chinese expert said.

With the start of the Russian military operation, Western media is doing what it does best — it continues to spread rumors about civilian deaths and Moscow's upcoming economic crash caused by falling global oil prices and anti-Russian sanctions, but these lies can't change the reality, Fei said.

Although the Russian military might not be as strong as the Soviet Red Army, its overall fire power, experience and equipment match the country's super power status.
Furthermore, the Russians have a special mentality: the harder it gets, the stronger they become.

Russia might be facing tough economic times, but history has shown time and again that hard times often became a driving force behind Russia's rapid development.

Enemies of Moscow paid a high price for underestimating the power of Russian people, their indomitable spirit and ability to overcome adversities against all odds, the Chinese political scientists reminded.